Combination sofa-bed and wardrobe-cough.



No. 678,026. Patented July 9, l90l. E. F. PALMER &. 0. a. HARDIN.

COMBINATION SOFA BED AND WARDROBE COUCH.

(Application filed Dec. 7,1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

w/rh 6 5565. 17 7067) 757's.

No. 678,026. Patented July 9, l90l.

E. F. PALMER &. O. G. HARDIN. COMBINATION SOFA BED ANOWAROROBE COUCH.

(Lpplinuion flied Doc. 7, 1899'] (No Model.) 2 Sheajs-Sheet 2,.

.Z'dfazZlPaZwer Orion i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR F. PALMER AND ORION Gr. HARDIN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COMBINATION SOFA-BED AND-WARDROBE-COUCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 678,026, dated July 9, 1901. Application filed December 7, 1899. Serial No. '739A82. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDGAR F. PALMER and ORION G. HARDIN, citizens of the United reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our IIIVGHlZIOH relates to improvements in sofas or couches so constructed as to be convertible into beds for sleeping in ;v and'the objects ofour improvements are to make an article of furniture which will serve as a comfortable sofa and can be easily and readily converted into a strong and comfortable bed and be as readily changed back into a sofa and provided with a receptacle for bed or other clothing. We attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which for better understanding of its construction the framework of our device is shown without the upholstering.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device, showing it closed for use as a sofa and with one end of the box broken; away to show interior elements thereof. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same with the end pieces of the back and box removed. Fig. 3 is a view simi-' lar to Fig. 2, except that it shows a position assumed by the parts during the conversion of the-device from a sofa into a bed, or vice versa. Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3, showing the device converted into a bed. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the relative position of a leg D and its lever 02 when the leg is drawn into the back.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout the several drawings.

The box-like base A, seat B, back 0, and legs D constitute the frame of i the device. Within the box A, near each end, is placed a transverse piece AQ'parallel with the ends of the box, so as to form chambers between said transverse pieces and the ends of the box, and within said chambers are pivoted eccentrically rods or. bars at, having their shorter arms toward the rear of the box and their longer arms toward the front thereof.

f The back 0 ishinged at its lower side to the seat 13, asshown-at O, and said seat is hinged at its lower end to the upper rear end of the box A, as shown at B The bottom of said seat is preferably formed by a series of slats B, (shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3,) and its ends, which constitute sofa-arms, are each formed of two parallel pieces of plank I), having a top plank 12* over them (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) and fastened to anornamental face b** at each end, thus forming chambers in said ends. Within each of said chambers is pivoted, near its front end, a weighted lever 12', which projects rear-1 wardly through the back-piece b** andhas its rear end formed to provide a book which engages a suitable catch, as 0, located in the frame of the back, so as thereby to hold said back perpendicular to the seat when the device is notconverted into bed form. Each end of the back 0 also preferably is formed to provide a chamber,within which chambers the legs D lie and are concealed when, they l are not'in use. These legs are attached at their upper ends to the frame of the back by the hinges D*, and at their upper ends they are formed or provided with beveled heads jD,'which project laterally in opposite direc tions therefrom. The legs are preferably connected together by a rung or brace d On each side of each leg is a'gooseneck-lever d pivoted on a dowel-pin supported by the back frame near the beginning of the neck and having a nick at the end adapted to 011* gage the head or angular projection D, formed on each side of the top of the leg. The le vers on each side of the leg are connected together into pairs by a weight-piece (1 extending across from one to the other from their bottom surfaces in the rear of the pivotv and back of the leg when folded. A cord or chain (1 connects the innerend of the outer of these paired levers to the back of the box A near its top. It willv be observed that the paired levers are located and operate Within the chambers at the ends of the back .O,wliich chambers thus conceal and protect said levers and prevent the same from coming in contact with the clothing stored in the box.

IOO

'the legs D and hold them in position.

A cord ct is attached at one end to the end of the long arm of each of the eccentric levers a and at the other end to the front slat of the seat, and a cord a is fastened at one end to the end of each of the short arms of the levers a, and thence passes over a pulley lixed in the outer edge of the back slat of the seat near its end, and thence over a pulley attached to the frame of the back at its top and near its end, and thence over the top of the leg D, to the outer face of which it is attached at a point about one-third the length of the leg below its top. end. A cord or chain a having a handle (6 (shown in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 5,) extends, below the seat, from the bottom of one of the slats of which it is supported in the middle, over a pulley fixed at each end of the seatframe immediately under the ends of the weighted levers b and is attached to those ends.

XVhen it is desired to convert the sofa, as shown in Fig. 1, into a bed, as shown in Fig. 4, the seat is raised to the perpendicular, throwing the back parallel to the floor. As the back is lowered the legs fall by their own weight toward a perpendicular. In raising the seat the cords or chains a, attached to the ends of the long arms of the levers a, are tightened, raising the long arms and depressing the short arms, and thereby-tightening the'cords or chains a connecting the ends of the short arms with the legs D, as described, and bringing the legs perpendicular to the floor, when the nicks in the ends of the paired gooseneck-levers d engage the angular projections formed on each side of the tops of (See Figs. 3 and 4:.) The clothing or other furnishings for the bed can then be taken from the-open box, and then the handle a to the cord a is pulled, which disengages the hook inthe outer ends of the weighted levers b in the ends of the seat from the catches c in the back and the seat is lowered onto the box A and the bed is formed. hen it is desired to change ,back from the bed form to the sofa form, the bedclothes are removed, the scat raised to the perpendicular, uncovering the box A, whereupon the weighted 1evers I) automatically engage the catches c in the back and hold the seat elevated, the clothes are put in the box A, the seat is lowered again onto the box, bringing the back to its perpendicular position, and at the same time tightening the cord or chain d, connecting the inner ends of the gooseneck-levers d with the back of the box, thereby disengaging the nicks in the ends of those levers from the angles at the top of the legs and allowing the legs and their connecting-rung to swing back into their chambers as the back rises.

. The Weight of the seat will prevent the back of the sofa from tipping backward, but if necessary a lock can be provided on the front of the box A to hold the seat down.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A combined Wardrobe bed and sofacouch, embodying a box-like base, a seat having chambered sofa-arms at its ends, said seat being pivotally attached at the lower end of its rear side to the rear side of said base, a back hinged at the lower end of its front side to said seat, pivoted legs carried by said back, horizontal levers contained and pivoted within the chambers in the sofa-arms and having hook ends extending rearwardly from said chambers, catches carried by said back to be engaged by said hook ends and thereby cause i said seat and back to swing together around the pivotal connection of the seat with the base, and means actuable to disengage said hook ends from said catches to thereby permit said back to swing upon its hinges relativel y to said seat, substantially as described.

2. A combined wardrobe bed and sofacouch, embodying a box-like base, a seat pivotally attached thereto at one side, a back pivotally attached to said seat, a hook and a catch coacting to hold the seat and back together, said back having chambered ends, legs pivoted at their upper ends in said chambers and swinging therefrom into a perpendicular position when the back is lowered, pivoted levers carried by said back and arranged wholly in said chambers and engaging the pivoted endsof said legs when the latter are perpendicular, and means for detaching said levers from the legs.

3. A combined wardrobe bed and sofacouch, embodying a box-like base, a seat pivotally attached thereto at one side and having its ends constructed to provide closed chambers, a back pivotally attached to said seat and having chambered ends, a hook and a catch in contiguous chambers, for holding the seat and back together, legs pivoted at their upper ends in the chambers of the back and adapted to swing therefrom into perpendicular position when the back is lowered, pivoted levers in the chambers of said back for holding the legs in perpendicular position, means for detaching said hook from the catch, and means for detaching said levers from the legs.

4. A combined wardrobe bed and sofacouch, embodying a box-like base, a seat pivotally attached thereto at one side, a back pivotally attached to said seat, a hook and a catch coacting to hold said seat and back together, legs pivoted at their upper ends to said back and having laterally-projecting beveled heads, a pair of connected'pivoted levers for each leg, having ends adapted to engage the heads of the latter, and means for disengaging said ends from said heads.

5. A combined wardrobe bed. and sofa couch, embodying a box-like base, a seat pivotally attached thereto at one side, a back pivotally attached to said seat, a hook and a catch coacting to hold the seat and back together, legs pivoted to said back, levers eccentrically pivoted in said base, means connecting the longer arms of said levers with said seat, and means connecting the shorter arms of said levers with said legs.

6. A combined wardrobe bed and sofacouch, embodying a box-like base, a seat pivotally attached thereto at one side and having chambered ends,a back pivotally attached to said seat and having chambered ends, a lever pivoted between its ends in each of the chambers in the ends of said seat andhaving its rear end projected therefrom and of hook form, a catch in the chamber of said back to be engaged by said hook end, means attached to the front ends of said levers for disengaging the rear ends thereof from said catches, legs pivoted attheir upper ends in chambers of said back and adapted to swing from said chambers into perpendicular position with respect to said back, and means for holding said legs in perpendicular position when the back is lowered and for swinging the same into said chambers While the back is being elevated. V

7, A combination sofa-bed, wardrobe and couch, having a box-base, a seat hinged thereto, a back hinged to the rear of the seat, and

.legs hinged to said back, combined with levers, pivoted in said base and each connected at one end with the seat and at its other end- :In testimony'whereof we affix our signa tures in presence of two witnesses.

1 EDGAR F. PALMER,

' ORION G. I-IARDIN.

WVitnessesi KATIE M. DoLAN, MAYME E. OHERN. 

